At the Mercy of Mother Nature

The beloved cherry. Precious and delicate. By far the most vulnerable and one of the most valuable crops we have here in the Yakima Valley. To be a cherry grower, you are at the mercy of Mother Nature. She can be testy at times or downright brutal. You see, it’s a nervy business, and requires a gambler’s mindset.

The rooted team recently hit the Buena Heights area, a short drive south of Yakima and made our way to a cherry orchard on Knight Hill. We landed in cherry heaven. The trees are lush and green with pods of red cherries just waiting to be picked. The sky is a mixture of dark and white clouds, but there is just enough blue sky to showcase the vibrant red coming from the trees.

Cherry grower, Mark Hanrahan, met up with us for a lesson on cherries. This time of year can be stressful on growers, to put it lightly. Amazingly though, Mark is bright-eyed and hospitable, even after having spent the last few weeks dodging Mother Nature and her rainstorms. One word to describe Mark is passionate. Growing cherries is something he’s wanted to do since he was 10-years-old farming with his Dad.

As we walk through the different cherry orchards, we step under a white netting that covers the entire block from top to bottom. Being encapsulated by the netting protects it from the many harmful elements which can damage this year’s crop and future ones. It scatters sunlight so that it reaches more areas of the orchard to help the cherries color nicely, traps warm air during the night, and moderates temperatures and UV radiation during the day.

We move out from under the netting, through conventional blocks and over to the experimental areas. Mark points out the traditional varieties of Rainiers and Bings, along with the many test varietals he is growing. He also explains how they grow better on this type of U.F.O. (Upright Fruiting Offshoots) trellis system, boasting about the higher yield and easier access for picking. He obviously loves experimenting and learning new techniques.

Like kids in a candy store, we can’t help but sample the cherries off the tree as they are very close to being harvested. We go for the Bings first. Bright red skin, long green stem; truly a piece of art ready to be eaten. First bite and the juiciness is surprising, the flavor is oh so sweet, and it explodes in your mouth. It’s a reminder of the uniqueness of cherries, so amazingly good and only here for a short amount of time. And as I get into the truck to leave, I snag a handful of Bings to share at home. I’m giddy, feeling like I won something!

Right now, cherry growers are constantly monitoring the weather; on the lookout for rain. Rain clouds are the last thing a grower wants to see, as it can destroy a whole farm’s crop with a downpour. Mark explains that he watches the weather and prepares for the worst, always taking protective measures before one rain drop falls. If cherries get too much water on them, they will absorb the moisture causing the cherry to split, rendering it un-marketable.

We are just days away, almost two weeks earlier than normal, from harvest and it will last about 5 weeks for Mark’s farm. A short amount of time for some, but an eternity for nervous cherry growers. It’s a tumultuous growing season with the unpredictability of Mother Nature. Every cherry grower dreams of picking a beautiful crop and delivering it to an eager market, all the while knowing that a single cruel shift of weather can render the entire crop worthless. A gamble for sure, but, at least at this moment in time, it looks (and tastes) like a sweet bet.